RESTAURANTS

RESTAURANTS; Square Meals

By CATHERINE JONES

Published: December 19, 1999

MORRISTOWN—
TEN SQUARE, an intimate restaurant in Morristown, shares the town with at least 75 competitors. But it has managed to stand out, securing a formidable reputation over the past two years for its New American cuisine with French and Asian influences, and for its professional service and muted atmosphere. However, it has recently lost its most important draw: Zod Arifai, the Albanian-born chef known simply as Chef Zod.

Chef Zod, formerly of Bouley and Aureole in Manhattan, left Ten Square six months ago to open his own restaurant in Brooklyn, and he has left a gaping hole behind. Although Ten Square appears to be the same restaurant, a meal there is not what it used to be.

For starters, the complimentary amuse-gueule of seared tuna and julienned cucumber was sodden and salty. The butternut squash soup with green apple and walnuts was much darker and thicker than I'd expected, reminding me more of Thanksgiving gravy rather than a fall orchard. In the homemade gnocchi with fresh green peas and roasted peppers, the peas were overcooked and wrinkly, the peppers were more watery than sweet, and the pasta, lightly sauced in garlic and butter, did not carry the dish.

A starter of chanterelles was certainly tender, but the aromatic broth in which the mushrooms lay (made from mushroom stock, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves) seemed more a salty, dirty rendering of these ingredients than an intentional sauce.

Fortunately, Chef Zod's sous chef, Paul Norbury, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, paid close attention to his former mentor in regard to Ten Square's signature appetizers. The seared sea scallops with snow peas and toasted almonds in an orange-ginger glaze were perfectly seared while retaining their tender, succulent centers. This appetizer also alerted me to Mr. Norbury's passion for pureeing vegetables and their juice to make a flavorful, colorful and light sauce; orange juice and ginger came right at me with color and zing.

The roasted eggplant and goat cheese tart easily stood above the rest of the appetizers. Buttery, flaky puff pastry encased a creamy mound of goat cheese enriched with roasted garlic. If I could recreate a larger version of this dish at home, I would (and would probably feel more comfortable, as there are no windows beyond a skylight to add life to the cream-hued Ten Square.)

Mr. Norbury's entrees were, for the most part, were more consistent than appetizers. The duck breast seared in thyme oil with red cabbage, roasted turnips and caramelized red wine sauce was the favorite of everyone at my table. Braised in red wine and honey, the cabbage was tender and sweet, paired with its natural match, roasted turnips. The goat cheese and leek ravioli, though cooked a bit past al dente, were filled with the same creamy garlic mixture I enjoyed so much in the tart appetizer. These ravioli were coated with a sweet sun-dried tomato and roasted garlic sauce, another expression of Mr. Norbury's penchant for purees.

Seafood is heralded as Ten Square's specialty, but I'm not sure that the new chef has mastered his fish dishes yet. For example, while the scallions and shiitake mushrooms underneath the mahi-mahi were sprightly yet rich, they could not mask the dulling flavor of the fish.

The wild mushroom risotto and the roasted venison both called out for their creator, Chef Zod. The risotto apparently had been simmered with stock all in one shot, rather than adding a cup at a time, resulting in a chewy, flavorless porridge. The venison, while tender and rich, was set atop salty Swiss chard, parsnips and endives laden with honey, and a horseradish beet emulsion that was more watery than juicy.

Tom Patterson, the pastry chef at Ten Square, stands close to Mr. Norbury in the tiny kitchen directly behind the only color in the restaurant, a lively mural of a Mediterranean picnic. Fortunately, the playful, inventive spirit of this painted wall seems to have transferred onto Mr. Pattersons creations. Aside from the heavy chocolate truffle terrine with Kahlua cream and the bland cappuccino mousse, the desserts are likely to please.

The warm banana tart, a financier dough made with walnuts rather than almonds, was warm, soothing and not too sweet. The cranberry and toasted almond strudel was crunchy and superbly flavorful, a feuilles de brick pastry containing sugary nuggets macerated overnight in orange juice and able to stand up to the intensity of the accompanying cinnamon ice cream.

Two common desserts simply stole my heart. The creme brulee with Tahitian vanilla bean was just as velvety and simple as I could hope for; no tweaking with lavender or ginger here. And the chocolate souffle cake with vanilla ice cream was intense and gooey, simultaneously satisfying the sophisticated palate and the kid in us.

Ten Square has a newly refined wine list and extremely professional service. With fine-tuning of the appetizers and a re-examination of some entrees, the restaurant might regain some of its previous acclaim. And I might rethink the decor, adding a painting or installing a window or two; it is difficult to get the full effect of anyone's cooking if you are feel as though you are dining in their garage.

That said, Ten Square's desserts would be just as enjoyable in the trunk of your car.